Gobi

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Sunday, October 20, 2013

celebrating lives greatly full :: ray zahab...

Ray Zahab is one of these guys that you meet, and you hear his story and you think to yourself: "But... he seems so ordinary, like me - and yet, what he is doing is extraordinary!" And he gives you permission to believe that YOU TOO can do the extraordinary. Following his pivotal experience
of running 7500km across the Sahara Desert in 2006 (an achievement
featured in the documentary: Running the Sahara), Ray founded impossible2Possible (i2P)in order to Inspire, Educate and Empower youth to make positive change in the world.

I am thrilled that Ray took the time from his extremely busy schedule to respond to my invitation to participate in *the gratitude project: dare to be grateful*.
(In fact, he sent his responses from Rome, Italy, where he was
delivering yet another inspirational talk at a TED Conference.) Thanks
so much Ray!

What PERSONAL QUALITY are you most grateful for, and why?

I
am grateful for the willingness to continue learning - for the desire to learn
from others and their experiences!

What FAILURE are you most grateful for, and why?

I am
most grateful to have DNF'ed at a major ultramarathon many years ago. It taught
me not to underestimate a challenge - not to think for one minute that I have
everything figured out!

What LIFE EXPERIENCE are you most
grateful for, and why?

I am most grateful for two things. 1. meeting my wife.
2. Running 7500km across the Sahara and learning that we totally underestimate
what we as humans are capable of. We all have the capacity to do amazing things
in our lives... and never stop learning in the process.

....the gratitude project can be found at http://daretobegrateful.blogspot.ca

Thursday, October 03, 2013

MH Grill: Ray Zahab

The former pack-a-day smoker who ran across the Sahara Desert talks to MH about how charity keeps him motivated and why you should always believe in yourself

How many hours a week do you spend training?

It depends on what I'm training for. I like to tell people that I
train specifically. I take an entire year and I dedicate it to an
expedition I'm training towards. For me max volume is somewhere between
100k and 180k per week, but most of my training is speed work, interval
workouts and up-tempo runs. I do occasional long, slow runs but they are
more social – I like to do them with my friends.

What's your top training tip?

I have three. Number one, set a goal. If you have a goal then you'll
train for it. Number two, prepare yourself with a really good programme.
You want to train with quality not quantity. Number three, include
conditional strength training in any preparation programme – it's so
important.

What are you doing in Britain?

The Royal Parks Foundation Ultra,
sponsored by inov-8. It's a great event and it gives people the
opportunity to try out an ultra. I'm so busy with my foundation impossible2Possible that I do find it difficult to get away but this event sounds so cool that I decided to get involved.

What advice would you give your 16-year-old self today?

Believe in yourself. You really can do extraordinary things. I was
never a natural athlete and back in the day I used to be a pack-a-day
smoker, the whole nine yards. I can remember thinking that I'm not very
sporty but – seeing what all these 16-year-olds do as part of my charity
– I would just want to say: Don't underestimate yourself'.

What put you on the path to who you are today?

I was 30. I had barely made it out of high school and I dropped out
of community college. I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest
of my life and I just sat wondering what my life was about. My younger
brother was a great inspiration to me because he is the athlete of the
family. I saw him doing all this cool stuff and I suddenly decided I
wanted to try and live my life like him. It obviously took a few years
for me to get my stuff together but that's how it started.

How healthy is your diet?

Well for me it's the same as anything else. I start eating healthy
but after a while I'll get bored and and go back to eating stuff like
burgers (or, if it's the UK, bangers and mash). I try to eat as
healthily as I can. I include lots of fruit and veg (all the normal
things you usually hear) and try to avoid processed foods as much as
possible. Healthy fats are incredibly important for long distance
runners (olive oil and avocados are amazing) but I also believe that one
day a week you should have whatever you want. That's the best way to
break up the monotony.

What’s your worst vice?

Potato chips – I could live off them.

You’ve been offered a pill that will make you live forever. Do you take it?

No. Life is meant to be explored, it is meant to be celebrated but
what's more important than that is the fact I don't want to outlive my
children.

What are you scared of?

Camel spiders freak me out.

Who would you most like to go for a beer with?

Muhammed, our expedition leader in the Sahara desert. He was such a great guy.

Who is your hero and why?

My brother is my greatest hero because without his inspiration I
would never have been able to achieve all the things I have done.